


Restart

by SugarxSpyce



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crack Fic, Domestic, Fake Marriage, Multi, Plot Switch AU, another world - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-03-08 04:18:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18887041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarxSpyce/pseuds/SugarxSpyce
Summary: Every world you wake up in, you are married, working full time, and trying not to pull your hair out. The only way to make it stop is to find the exit but where is it at?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something a little different that involves the reader and the characters in different worlds. The characterizations are a little ooc at times. Thank you for reading this.

 “What restaurant did you want to eat at?” Hisoka asks, leaning against the office door. His hair is down naturally, covering his eyes, and a heart-shaped earring is in his right ear. He wears an ugly sweater and sweat pants. You really dislike his fashion, but now isn’t the time to mention it. “I’m in the mood for ribs. Why don’t we eat at Kline’s? It’s near the house.”

 You want to tell him no so badly. The food at Kline’s isn’t good and no matter how much salt and pepper you put on the food, it doesn’t mask the awful taste. The ribs are chewy, burnt, and look like something a dog would eat. Even the scrambled eggs aren’t cooked properly. How does a cook mess up on scrambled eggs?

 “I’m fine. I’ll eat dinner at home,” You say, looking at your work clothes in a full-size mirror next to your desk.

 You wear a lab coat over a blouse and dress pants. Normally, you wear jeans with holes in it since the hospital doesn’t have a dress policy. The organization only cares about treating as many patients as possible, which is nice, since you are busy all day. Back in your home world, hardly any patients were seen since the hospital was located on a small island. The population was a little under two hundred. Everyone knew each other’s business, so it was hard to lie about anything.

 “I don’t feel like eating at home. I much rather eat at a nice restaurant with my—” Hisoka doesn’t finish his sentence because you give him an icy glare that causes him to lick his lips like a creep.

 “Don’t ever say that word out loud at my job. Got it?” You say sternly.

 “What word?”

 “You know what I’m talking about.”

 “My memory is hazy. I need you to tell me again.”

 You slam your hand down on your desk. “Stop it! I’m not in the mood for one of your little games.”

 Hisoka chuckles a little as he takes a step into your office, making two playing cards appear in his left hand. “Your colleagues don’t know that you are married. Is that the reason why you don’t want me to call you _that_ word?”

 Bingo. It’s none of your colleague’s business. It’s better if they believe you are a single crazy cat lady who lives alone in a large house. If they found out that you are in a polygamous marriage, you wouldn’t know how to explain it, let alone would you want to tell them anything about your husbands. They are criminals and the worst kind.

 “Stop coming to my job. The next time you come, I’ll call the police,” you say, slinging your backpack purse across your shoulder.

 “I’m looking forward to that,” Hisoka says seductively.

 A chill runs up your spine as you walk past him to the hallway. Hisoka follows behind, keeping his eyes on you like a hawk. You lock your office door and head to the elevator. There isn’t anyone in front of it. Nobody can ask you why a guy who looks like he crawled out a dumpster is with you. Your colleagues are extremely nosy. Sometimes you want to tell them to screw off but it might get you fired.

 Hisoka presses a button on the wall to call the elevator. “Would you like it if I fought one of your colleagues?” The elevator door opens and you step inside. He presses the first-floor button and the elevator descends. “Or would you prefer that I act like a law-abiding citizen who wants to take you out to dinner?”

 You roll your eyes. “You could never act like a law-abiding citizen. If you had it your way, the entire city would be covered in blood and we would be stuck in this world forever. I’m not staying married to you until I die.”

 “I only kill strong opponents, not the weak ones. It would be a waste of time slaughtering everyone in this city. They aren’t unripe fruit I want to pluck.”

 You want to kick him in his manhood for comparing people to fruit. You love eating fruit with your meals and knowing he views fruit as people he can slaughter in the future sends shivers down your spine and makes your stomach churn a little. The next time you see fruit at the store, you won’t buy it. An image of him destroying fruit and laughing like a maniac will forever be etched in your mind.

 You exit the elevator and walk to the car in the parking lot. There are some doctors and nurses’ walking to the hospital. You are glad you don’t work the evening shift since you are not a night owl. Your bedtime is at ten at night and you wake up at five in the morning. Your shift doesn’t start until seven, but you like arriving early to drink tea and check emails. It’s a good thing you are a real doctor otherwise, you would freak out every morning, trying to figure out on how to treat your patients.

 This world got something right. It actually assigned you the same occupation as the one in your home world. Why can’t other things be the same as well?

 You unlock the car door and sit on the driver’s side. Hisoka sits on the passenger’s side and doesn’t buckle his seatbelt. The law requires everyone to buckle up and if caught, the penalty fee is over twenty thousand credits, maybe more depending on the police officer’s mood. There isn’t any jail time since the police prefer to do less paperwork and hate babysitting anyone in a jail cell.

 “I’m not going anywhere until you buckle your seatbelt,” you say, slightly irritated.

He buckles his seatbelt, smiling cheekily. You start the car and drive home, hoping there isn’t traffic on the street leading to the gated community. You pass the mall, several restaurants, and a gas station. Everything is close together because the city is small, which makes it easier to commute to different places. If you wanted to, you could walk to work in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

There isn’t traffic on the street leading to the gated community. You pull up to the gate and a guard steps outside of a small building that is big enough for one person. There is a road on both sides of the building. One road is for entering the gated community, and the other is for exiting. He tips his hat like a cowboy in a western movie, smiling wide, exposing his teeth. You roll down the window and hand him your I.D.

 “Good evening, Mrs. Portor,” he says in an accent you don’t recognize. “How was work today?”

 You wrinkle your nose because you still are not used to hearing the new last name. “Very busy but fine.”

 “Hello, Mr. Portor,” he looks past you to Hisoka.

 Hisoka licks his lips as he sizes him up. He isn’t a worthy opponent to fight, but perhaps, he can be a prey to kill in order to lower his bloodlust. As soon as you notice his ‘I’m coming back to kill you later’ look, you clear your throat and speak quickly.

 “I’m in a hurry to get home. Dinner is ready and I’m really hungry,” you say, slightly nervously.

 The guard laughs. “Oh? What did the husband make for dinner? My spouse is making chicken casserole.”

 You hesitate to answer because you don’t know which husband is making dinner at home. For all you know, it could be burnt lasagna, watery scrambled eggs, or undercooked chicken. The only husband who has decent cooking skills is Kaito, but he doesn’t put enough seasoning on the food to satisfy your taste buds.

 “I’m making goulash for dinner,” Hisoka answers.

 The guard’s eyes light up like Christmas lights. “Oh, what meat are you using? I like to use turkey, but lately I’ve been using hamburger.”

 “I prefer to use the good kind of meat,” Hisoka says, staring at him.

 “The good kind? What’s that?” the guard asks, checking your I.D. and returning it to you.

 “It’s hamburger,” you say quickly before Hisoka answers. “My husband has a weird sense of humor.” You look at him, fake laughing. “Don’t you, dear?”

 He looks at you, licking his lips. “Yes. I was joking.”

 The guard tips his hat again and presses a button to open the gate. The gate opens slowly, scrapping the ground, making a disturbing noise that sounds like someone running their fingernails across a blackboard. You winch as you enter the gated community and turn right on the first street.

 Every house is the same color and every mailbox is the same size. The lawns are freshly mowed, the gardens are upkept, and the tree branches are trimmed. In some backyards, there is a pool that has a waterslide, a jacuzzi, and in others, there is a mini tennis court or a basketball court. In your backyard, there is only a jacuzzi.

 As you drive toward your house, you spot some neighbors sitting on the porch, smoking cigarettes and a few children playing on the lawn. Hisoka stares at the neighbors intently, eyeing their movements like a hawk. You grip the steering wheel, gritting your teeth because you don’t know whether he will return later to kill them or if he just sizing them up.

 You pull the car into the driveway, shut it off, and get out. Hisoka gets out after a few seconds and you lock the doors before heading inside. The house is two stories tall. It has three bedrooms and one bathroom on the second floor, two bedrooms and one bathroom on the first floor, and one bedroom and a half bathroom in the basement. Your husband’s share rooms while you get to the master bedroom to yourself, but recently, Illumi and Hisoka have moved in without asking for permission.

 You really want them to leave.

 You kick off your shoes, and place your backpack purse on the couch in the living room. The air smells like burnt chicken and another smell you can’t identify. Some smoke waltzes from the kitchen and the sound of Feitan and Phinks coughing from it is heard. You clench and unclench your jaw as you enter the kitchen, expecting to see everything burnt to a crisp.

 Phinks and Feitan stand in front of the double wall ovens, holding a tray of burnt chicken. They wear baggy T-shirts and sweat pants. There is a tray of burnt asparagus and potatoes on the kitchen island. The sink is full of dirty dishes and there is flour and seasoning all over the counters. The floor is sticky in some areas as if they had dropped syrup.

 “We made dinner,” Feitan says, setting the tray of burnt chicken on the kitchen island. “Grab the plates.”

 “You can’t be serious,” you say, looking from Feitan to Phinks. “You’re not actually going to serve this”-you point to the burnt food. “for dinner, are you?”

 Feitan shrugs. “Why not?”

 “What’s wrong with dinner?” Phinks asks angrily. He picks up a burnt potato and bites it. “It doesn’t taste that bad.”

 “Go away if you aren’t eating,” Feitan snaps.

 Hisoka enters the kitchen and grabs a plate from the cabinet above the sink and piles food on it. You are half tempted to ask him if he is eating because he is really hungry or if he is doing it for another reason.  He wouldn’t do it to make them feel better. No. He couldn’t care less if hurts their feelings. He does what he wants, when he wants, and doesn’t give a crap if he hurts people along the way.

 Phinks grabs some plates from the cabinet and sets them on the counter. You pick up a plate anxiously, swallowing hard. Feitan watches silently as you pile a small portion of food on your plate and sit down at the kitchen table. If this food sends you to the hospital, it will get you away from your husbands for a little while. Maybe you can request a divorce while you recover.

 Just maybe.

 “Wait for everyone to sit down before eating,” Feitan says, as you pick up the burnt chicken to eat it. “Chrollo will be down soon.”

 A few minutes pass and Illumi and Chrollo enter the kitchen, wearing tight tank tops and sweat pants. Chrollo picks up a plate and piles food on it. Illumi takes out a bag of apple bunnies from the refrigerator and sits next to you. You want to move to the other side of the table or eat in your room because he is the worst husband. Every word that rolls off his tongue makes you want to gouge his eyes out. He is manipulative, not as much as Chrollo, and very demanding. He probably has never been in a relationship unless he forced it or it was arranged.

 This world should have left the assassin in your home world. Let him ruin someone else’s life.

 “You didn’t respond to any of my texts,” Illumi says, inspecting an apple bunny. “I told you to text me back every time. Why didn’t you do it?”

 “I’m not getting into this with you,” you reply, scooting your chair over. He scoots his chair closer, and you scoot over again until you are next to an empty chair. “You could have called me if you wanted to talk. I don’t respond to texts at work.”

 “You better reply next time,” Illumi demands.

 “Illumi, knock it off,” Phinks growls as he sits down in a chair across the table.

“She doesn’t have to respond to your text if she doesn’t want to. Stop forcing her to do something that she doesn’t want to do.”

 “She texts you, doesn’t she?” Illumi asks him.

 “Even if she does, it’s none of your business,” Phinks replies.

 “Tell me,” Illumi insists.

 You want to scream. Why is Illumi so persistent on finding out if you are texting Phinks? It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. But you have to remember who you are dealing with. He is a crazy assassin who wants to be in control of everything, including how you sleep next to him. He once had asked you to sleep on your side so that he could have more arm room. You had told him to get out, but he had refused.

 You take your cellphone out of your pocket to show Illumi that you haven’t texted anyone all day. He looks at the screen, narrowing his eyes. “See. Nothing happened.”

 “You could have deleted the texts,” he says, snatching your cellphone.

 “Yes, that’s exactly what I did. I deleted the texts so that you wouldn’t find out that I’ve been sending naked pictures to, Phinks,” you say sarcastically. “In fact, I’ve been sending naked pictures to everyone, except you.”

 “Why didn’t you send any to me?” Illumi asks coldly.

 Feitan snorts. “Dumbass, she is joking.”

 “What is she joking about?” Illumi crosses his arms, brows knitted. “Did she or didn’t she send naked pictures to everyone?”

 “She didn’t send anything,” Chrollo says calmly. He looks at Illumi. “Aren’t you a little obsessed about this?”

 “I’m not obsessed. If I was obsessed, I would stick a needle into her brain right now,” he says, clapping his hands together.

 “What is wrong with him?” you ask Phinks.

 Phinks looks at you surprised. “Why are you asking me? You should be asking Hisoka since they have this messed up relationship.”

 “It’s a give and take relationship,” Chrollo corrects him.

 “Does it matter? I don’t like them,” Feitan says, stabbing a fork into his burnt potato.

 You open your mouth to ask another question, but decide not to. Knowing that Illumi and Hisoka have a give and take relationship makes things complicated, especially if they decide to slaughter the entire neighborhood together. You are not sure if the other husbands will join them or if they will watch from the sidelines.

 Something tells you they will do something else during the killing sphere. From what Kaito had mentioned about them, the Phantom Troupe mainly steals and kills anyone who gets in their way. Apparently, they are famous back in your home world, but you have never heard of them. News about gangs in other countries wasn’t allowed on the island you grew up on.

 “Did you find out anything about this world?” Chrollo asks Phinks, changing the subject.

 Phinks nods his head. “There is a neighborhood association in charge of welcoming new families, and organizing family events.”

 “Who told you that?” you ask.

 Feitan takes another bite of his burnt potato before answering. “The guard had told me since I’m head of the household. Phinks was eavesdropping on our conversation.”

 “I wasn’t eavesdropping!” Phinks barks. “I was smoking next to the gate when the guard had told you.”

 Your stomach drops. Why did this world choose Feitan to be the head of the household? Why didn’t it choose Kaito or Chrollo. At least with Kaito, he wouldn’t say something disturbing and Chrollo has a way of getting people to like him. The goal is to win people’s trust, not destroy it, especially if you want to escape this world.

 “Did he say anything else?” You ask nervously.

 “Oh, I heard there is an event in a city not too far from here but details about it weren’t provided,” Hisoka says, before popping a burnt potato in his mouth.

 “Are you just saying that to be a smartass?” Phinks snaps at him.

 Hisoka chuckles. “I’m not lying. I overheard two neighbors talking about it while I was stretching at the park this morning.”

 The thought of Hisoka doing any sort of exercise at the park or in another location makes you really uneasy. You bet the only reason he stays in shape is to search for worthy opponents to fight. Why else would he leave the house before dawn every day to exercise? It’s the perfect time to commit a crime or at least scout the neighborhood for worthy opponents.

“Can’t Shalnark hack into the government database to find information about the association?” Illumi asks Chrollo.

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible right now,” Chrollo replies, cutting his burnt chicken in half. “He doesn’t have the right hacking tool to do it. He is currently looking for one.”

 That explains why you haven’t seen Shalnark since last night. He is working hard to hack into the government database. You are not too thrilled with the idea, but if he is able to do it without getting caught, any information he finds will be useful. You make note to ask him about the event Hisoka had mentioned. Part of you believes it does exist and another part believes it’s a lie.

Only time will tell.


	2. Chapter 2

 The rain pours outside as you sit at the dining table, drinking jasmine tea and eating toast with jelly on it. It’s five minutes till six am and the only husbands who are awake, are jogging around the neighborhood. Hisoka had asked you to go jogging with him, but you had rejected his invitation quickly. You haven’t jogged in years, and you are not about to start.

 You sip your tea and raise an eyebrow when you hear movement upstairs. Chrollo, and Kaito share a room on the second floor. Feitan, Phinks, and Shalnark share a room on the first floor, and Illumi and Hisoka share the basement. Most of the time, Illumi and Hisoka sleep in your room, taking turns attempting to cuddle you. You won’t allow them to do it, except on nights when it becomes extremely cold.

 Last night, it was freezing, so you had allowed Illumi to cuddle you underneath the blanket. Hisoka wasn’t allowed to because he was naked and extremely hard, plus he had kept calling you his unripe fruit or special fruit, whatever the heck he calls his prey, several times in an eerie tone that sounded like he was possessed or about to have an orgasm. You didn’t bother to ask him to leave since he always finds a way back into the room. He maybe a creep and a pervert, but he is skilled at breaking into places undetected.

 You take another sip of your tea, and eat the rest of your toast before putting your plate inside the sink and heading upstairs to your bedroom. Illumi pulls down his shirt when you enter the room and brushes his hair in front of a mirror in the corner. You open the closet door, step inside, and close it so that he can’t see you change into your work clothes.

 You put on a blouse, pants, and slip on ballet flats. Instead of wearing your hair down, you put it into a neat bun and fasten it with bobby pins. When you exit the closet, Illumi sits on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his hair. He opens his mouth to say something, but you dash out of the bedroom to the car and drive to work.

 It takes about ten minutes to reach the parking lot and six minutes to reach your office. You place your backpack purse next to your desk and sit down. The sound of a doctor and a nurse chatting a few feet away from your office makes you wonder how many patients they have helped or if they have assigned any patients to you for the day.

 You mostly treat patients who have issues with their immune system, but sometimes you treat patients who are sick with a cold, have a migraine, and believe it or not, have erectile dysfunction. You are not supposed to treat patients outside your expertise, but this one nurse, Mr. Luck, keeps assigning you the wrong patients. You have told him several times to stop doing it, but he doesn’t listen.

 Hopefully, he has assigned you the correct patients today.

 You turn on your computer and check your work emails. There is one from Doctor Yip, who is a cardiologist, inviting you to a game night at his house tomorrow. Another email is from Nurse Genie, who mainly works for Doctor Yip, asking what type of food you will bring to the potluck next month. The last email is from a member in the neighborhood association. You open the email and read it.

  _From: Mentha Lyons <m.lyons@nassociation.com>_

_To: Dr. Portor <dr.portor@inlook.com>_

_Subject Line: Please Read to Return Home_

  _Dear Doctor Portor,_

  _My name is Mentha Lyons and I am a member in the neighborhood association. I know who you really are and I can help you return to your world, but it’s not going to be easy. I will be stopping by your house with another member named Lucas, to conduct a family counseling session. All new residents are required to have one. The session doesn’t last long. Once finished, we will speak in private quickly because Lucas doesn’t know that you are from a different world. I look forward to meeting you and your family._

  _Sincerely,_

_Mentha Lyons_

 You lean back against your chair, biting your lower lip, wondering how she knows you are from a different world. It’s bizarre. Even if she is telling the truth, you want to see proof and find out who she really is and if she is responsible for sending you to this world. You could bombard her with questions after the counseling session and hope she gives a straight answer.

 Your chest tightens, thinking about the counseling session. What questions will they ask? Should you email her back? You really want to answer the questions correctly so that it doesn’t give away your true identity to the other member. It’s extremely nerve-wracking. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, they do.

 You stare at the computer screen for a few minutes and lean forward to place your hands on the keyboard. You have to know what questions they will ask so that everyone can prepare their answers. You are not about to walk into this situation blind.

 Screw it. You decide to email her, feeling your heart hammer against your chest.

 You send an email to her and wait for a reply. A few minutes later, her email pops up on the screen and you open it quickly. If the questions are about sex, you are going to scream. If the questions are about your daily routines, you can provide an answer without any problems.

  _From: Mentha Lyons <m.lyons@nassociation.com>_

_To: Dr. Portor <dr.portor@inlook.com>_

_Subject Line: Re: Please Read to Return Home_

  _Dear Doctor Portor,_

  _The questions will be about your love and sex life. I know the questions are personal, but they are required in order to make sure your marriage is good. A bad marriage is very concerning and requires individual counseling sessions with your spouses every week._

  _I hope this answers your questions._

  _Sincerely,_

_Mentha Lyons_

 You want to scream so loud that the windows shatter. Of all questions to ask, one just has to be about your sex life. You are not riding your husbands, so there is nothing to tell them. Plus, you are terrible at lying about your sex life. You barely had sex in your home world and when you did, it was with one guy who had dumped you to be in a polygamous relationship.

 This counseling session is going to be a challenge.

 ~*~

You sit crossed legged on your bed wearing pajamas, thinking about various answers to say during the counseling session. There is a notepad with notes on it on your lap and a pen in your right hand. You tap the pen on the notepad and think about how you met your husbands. The story needs to be believable, not farfetched.

 “How do most people meet?” you mutter to myself. You begin to write down places but stop when your bedroom door opens and your husbands enter one by one, like soldiers boarding a plane. They sit down on the floor and you jot down some notes.

 “Let me guess, you are here to go over some answers for the counseling session,” you ask them.

 Hisoka and Illumi sit next to the door. Chrollo sits in front of the closet. Phinks, Feitan, and Shalnark sit in front of the bed, and Kaito sits in the corner, holding a book in his hand. The cover says _Dating and Marriage for Dummies Vol. 2_. Your eyes light up like Christmas lights since it may have information you can use.

 “Have you read that book yet?” you ask Kaito. He shakes his head and opens the book to the first chapter. You sigh a little. “I suppose we can take turns reading the book.”

 “We don’t need to read a book to pass the counseling session. All we have to do is make sure our answers are the same,” Phinks says in a matter of fact tone.

 Shalnark nods his head in agreement. “For example, if she asks how we met, I’ll tell her that we met in a book club. We didn’t like each other at first because our reading tastes were different, but eventually, we fell in love and got married.”

 The story seems plausible. “That sounds good. Now, where did we get married?” You look at Chrollo. He cups his chin with his hand and thinks. “Do you know any popular wedding spots? Ones that are believable and affordable?”

 Illumi tilts his head to the side. “My parents got married in front of an active volcano. They also forced all the guests to wear clothes that had five-ton weights in them.”

 “They wouldn’t believe us if we told them that,” Feitan says rudely. He looks at you, grinning. “I say we tell them that we got married in a torture chamber. All the guests were gagged and tied to a chair.”

 “I really hope you’re kidding,” you say, clenching your fists. “Your suggestion is worse.”

 What is wrong with them? You want to hear a believable suggestion, not their ideal wedding. If they told Mentha and Lucas that you got married in front of an active volcano or inside a torture chamber, it would send out red flags. You have to come up with a better story about your wedding day.

 “We got married in a historical library because it’s the place where we fell in love,” Chrollo says smoothly, letting the words roll off his tongue. “The story is believable since it’s a popular place to wed in Tac City.”

 So, he did do his research. That is great. No. That is amazing. Now, you have to discuss your sex life, which you are not too thrilled about.

 “We need to talk about our sex life,” you say, looking at everyone, knitting your brows. “The answer _needs_ to be believable.”

 Kaito stands up and paces back and forth in front of the bed. You jot down more notes and the other husbands think about a suitable answer. One of them is bound to say something ridiculous. Your bet is on Illumi or Hisoka. Feitan doesn’t seem like a pervert, but you don’t know him that well.

 “As much as I would prefer to not answer the question, we’ll tell them that we have sex twice a week,” Kaito says, with disgust in his voice.

 “I supposed that’s fine, but since we are making up a story, I’m always the first person to screw our wife,” Illumi says, staring at Kaito.

 Feitan snorts. “You’re not the head of the household. I get to spend time with our wife first.”

 You hold up your hands in the air. “Would you two stop it! Just come up a reasonable answer so that we can pass this counseling session.”

 “Kaito’s answer is perfect. If they ask for details, we can refuse to answer since it’s none of their business,” Hisoka says, bringing one knee to his chest and resting his arm on it. “I could answer the questions since I’m a good liar.”

 You open your mouth to say something but close it. He is a good liar and also very devious. For all you know, he could be cooking up a plan to sabotage the counseling session in order to entertain himself. The same goes for the other husbands, but the chances of it happening is low. With Hisoka, it’s very high.

 “I’m fine that answer,” you say. You look around at everyone. “Does that work?”

 Phinks shrugs. “Five times a week is better.”

 “Or seven,” Shalnark adds.

 You blink. “Shalnark, no offense, but you don’t seem like the type to have a lot of sex.”

 Shalnark puts his hands behind his head and laughs. “You don’t know me very well. I love having sex as much as I love hacking into computers or turning people into my puppet.”

 You stare at him feeling disgusted because that isn’t something to brag about. What the heck. There is seriously something wrong with him.

 “We should head downstairs and wait for our guests,” Kaito says before he leaves the room. The other husbands leave, too.

 You lay down on your bed, sighing hard. “I really hope this goes well.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter.

Mentha and Lucas sit across the dining table wearing matching business suites and you sit in between your husbands. Chrollo, Phinks, Shalnark and Kaito sit to the left and Feitan, Illumi, and Hisoka sit to the right. You rest your hands in your lap and breathe in and out several times as you wait for a question. The rain continues to pour outside and the smell of caramel coffee drifts from several mugs in front of everyone.

 Mentha picks up her mug and takes a sip. Lucas turns on his tablet and slides his fingers across the screen. Sometimes he clears his throat as if something is stuck in it and sometimes, he glances at you. You clasp your hands so hard until your knuckles hurt. The pain helps you stay calm, but it doesn’t stop your heart from beating rapidly. It feels like you are about to be interrogated by the police for a crime you didn’t commit.

 “you. Portor,” Lucas says, continuing to look at his tablet. “How would you rate your relationship with your husbands? On a scale of one to ten, what number would you give it?”

 A zero.

 “A six or a seven,” you reply.

 “Why?” Lucas asks.

 You unclasp your hands and twiddle your thumbs underneath the table. “We have our ups and downs. Our relationship isn’t perfect.”

 “Most relationships aren’t,” Mentha comments.

 Lucas types something into his tablet and looks at Feitan. “Our records show that you are the head of the household. What do you do to encourage your family when they are feeling down?”

 “Nothing,” Feitan shrugs.

 “I see,” Lucas looks back at his tablet and types fast, stops for a few moments to think and types again. When he is finished, he looks at everyone. “What about dates? Where did you go recently?”

 Chrollo speaks up. “We went to the planetarium and to the botanical garden.”

 “Two great places to have a date,” Mentha comments again.

 Lucas nods his head in agreement, smiling a little, and looks at you. “Do you eat lunch with your spouses at your job?” He checks something on his tablet and looks back at you. “You’re a doctor, is that correct?”

 “Yes, that’s correct. I’m an immunologist,” you say, unsure why you stated your occupation when he has it stored on the tablet. Maybe he wanted you to say it aloud to see if it aligns with his records. “I don’t really invite them to my job because I’m busy on most days. On days when it’s slow, I’m working on paperwork.”

 “That’s very understandable. My job is the same way,” Mentha says, looking at Lucas.

 “What about everyone else? Where do you work?” Lucas asks your husbands.

 You sweat a little because they are going to say something outrageous. You just know it. Phinks crosses his arms and makes a humming noise while Chrollo folds his hands in his lap. Feitan, Illumi, and Hisoka stare at Mentha and Lucas. Kaito examines the scratches on his hands and Shalnark, well, he is on his cellphone, like usual. If technology went away, you wonder what he would do.

 Mentha looks at Luca’s tablet and speaks to break the silence. “I don’t see any employment in our records. Is everyone taking a break?”

 “We are taking a break to focus on our relationship since we didn’t get a chance to spend a lot of time together in Tac City,” Hisoka says in a serious tone to make his lie seem true.

 You admit that he is good at lying.

 “That’s very unfortunate,” Lucas says, sympathetically. “That is a common problem that happens to most marriages in this city. The neighborhood association strives to help families grow closer by providing information about family events.” He looks at Mentha and waits for her to say something, but she doesn’t. He looks back at us, concerned. “There isn’t much we can do to help your family, but we can suggest events that allows you to spend a great amount of time together.”

 “What kind of event?” Chrollo asks.

 Shalnark looks up from cellphone. Finally. “Where is it located?”

 “How much does it cost?” Illumi inquires.

 Kaito looks up from his hands, intrigued. “Who runs this event?”

 Lucas raises his left hand up in the air to prevent anyone else from asking him a question. “There is a family event that will start in two days. I don’t know much about it, but Mentha does. If your family is interested, she can tell you more about it after the counseling session.”

 “I’m very interested,” Hisoka says, staring at Mentha and Lucas as if they are potential prey he wants to hunt. “Do we have to wait to hear more about it?”

 “Yes, we still have a couple of questions to ask,” Mentha replies, without making eye contact with him. She tries to shrug off his piercing gaze but it doesn’t work.

 Lucas picks up his tablet and taps it a few times. You wonder what type of information they have about your family, besides your names, occupation, and address. They can’t have your birthday or blood type unless someone from your home world shared the information and the Troupe doesn’t have an official record since they are from Meteor city. You are not sure about Hisoka and Kaito.

 “How is your sex life? Anyone can answer and no details please. I’m not interested in it,” Lucas states.

 Nobody says anything. You open your mouth to speak but close it as soon as you hear Hisoka’s voice.

 “Our sex life is good. We have sex three times a week,” Hisoka says smoothly.

 Chrollo speaks up. “It’s twice a week.”

 More like zero, but you don’t disclose that.

 “Any affairs?” Mentha asks.

 You want to laugh at her question. Your husbands would much rather kill than cheat. They live to shed blood as much as possible.  

 “None of that,” Phinks answers.

 Lucas takes a sip of his coffee before sliding his fingers across the tablet’s screen again. He types something in quickly and looks at everyone. Mentha eyes you the same way a cop eyes a suspect in an interrogation room. You really begin to feel like you are about to be arrested for a crime you didn’t commit. A large knot forms in your throat and sweat rolls down your back.

 “Last question. Where did you meet?” Mentha asks.

 “At a book club in a historical library in Tac City,” Kaito says calmly.

 “And you, Feitan?” Lucas looks at him. “Did you meet your spouses in the same place?”

 “Yes. Afterward, we had se—" Feitan stops talking when you accidentally touch his crotch underneath the table. You meant to touch his leg but due to your nervousness, you accidentally touched the first thing your fingers came into contact with without thinking. He blushes a little and clears his throat. “I mean, we talked about books afterward.”

 Lucas looks from him to me, puzzled. “Is something wrong?”

 “Everything is fine,” you blurt out, sweating more. Instead of moving your hand off his body, you move it to his leg and squeeze it gently because you are extremely nervous. You really shouldn’t do it. It will send mixed feelings but at this point, you feel like you are about to lose it.

 Mentha looks away from you and whispers to Lucas. Lucas laughs a little and looks at Illumi. Your stomach drops and your heart races faster until you can hear it beating in your ears. You wish you had a nen ability that allowed you to listen to people’s thoughts. It would be very useful right now.

 “I know we said that was the last question, but this one is. Where did you get married?” Lucas asks.

 “On a mountain in Tac City while it was raining hard. We hiking gear, said our vows, and afterward, we hiked for ten hours without taking a break to another mountain that has a sky lodge. Our suite hung from a cliff that was over two thousand feet from the ground. It was a good honeymoon and if we had another one, I want to stay in a lodge that has a stream of lava flowing through it,” Illumi says, without blinking, eyes wide.

 Mentha, Lucas, and your other husbands goggle at Illumi. You are shocked that he managed to come up with an extreme wedding story that sounds believable. It sounds like something Hisoka would say, minus the uncanniness. Where did this side come from? Did he write this down prior to the counseling session?

 What in the world is going on?

 After a few minutes, Lucas clears his throat. “That’s very interesting. I’ve never heard of a wedding and honeymoon like that.”

 “Me neither, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen,” Mentha tries to say nicely, but there is a hint of doubt and concern in her voice.

 Lucas checks the time on his watch and stands up. Mentha does the same.

 “Well, that’s it for this counselling session. Thank you for answering our questions. Do you have any for us?” Lucas asks.

 Kaito stares at Lucas suspiciously. “Are you a psychiatrist?”

 Lucas pivots from one leg to the other, looking slightly annoyed. “I used to be. Why?”

 “What are the questions used for?” Kaito crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. “Is it used to determined which family stays in the neighborhood and which family leaves? Or will you sell our information?”

 Mentha speaks before Lucas gets a chance to. “I’m not sure what you are talking about but the questions are to find out which marriages are good and which ones are bad. It’s mainly to help strength relationships that are having trouble. From what I can tell, your marriage is good.”

 You know she is only saying that to leave quickly. Instead of questioning her answer, Kaito forces a fake smile and Mentha ushers Lucas to the front door. They put on their shoes and grab their bags before stepping outside. You rush over to the door and hold it open. The rain continues to fall and some drops land inside the house as the wind blows a little. Lucas runs to a car parked in the street and gets inside and starts it.

 Mentha leans over to whisper in your ear. “I’ll email you the details about how to return to your world. No matter what happens, try your best to leave.”

 “Wait,” you whisper back as an unsettling feeling rises inside of you. “Could you give me information about the family event?”

 “It’s connected to leaving this world,” Mentha says, before running outside and getting into the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Feitan sits next to you on your bed playing a mobile game that Shalnark had recommended and Illumi sits on the other side brushing his hair. He eyes what websites you visit on your cellphone every few minutes. He is extremely nosy and you believe he thinks you are trying to message some guy in this world. Whenever you catch him staring, you hold your cellphone against your chest and wait for him to look away.

 So far, you haven’t received an email from Mentha yet. You wonder what is taking her so long. You check your email and refresh the webpage several times to see if anything came through. There is nothing. You open up a new webpage and type in _nen users in Tac city_ in the search bar since you don’t know the name of the current city. Nobody has told you and there isn’t a sign displaying the name.

 It’s bizarre.

 The results show websites that are about a movie called _Nen Users in Amber City_. You click on the first link and it takes you to a webpage that has a picture of shops, restaurants, and offices near your workplace. Some you recognize and some you don’t. There is a small building that looks like it will crumble at any moment and a sign above the entrance that says _Door To Infinite Possibilities_.

 You scroll down to the bottom of the webpage to see if there is a summary about the movie and the name of the film creator. There is information underneath a flower icon. The movie is an indie film that was shown in some theaters across the globe. The creator is an older man who goes by the name of T. Knight and he had used his own money to fund the production. He believes there is a door that leads to other worlds somewhere. The location is unknown but there is a strong implication the door is connected to some event that is held once a year.

 You freeze up as if someone is pointing a gun at you and your chest tightens at the thought that there is a chance this movie is based upon a true story. Why else would the creator claim that there is a magical door somewhere?

 “Feitan, go get the other guys. I have something to tell them,” you say excitedly.

 Feitan puts down his cellphone, frowning. “Why?”

 “Just go get them.”

 Feitan looks at my cellphone. “Don’t waste your time.” He picks up his cellphone and resumes playing his mobile game. “Shalnark has already looked into it and it is a dead end. The creator is missing.”

“Maybe we can search for him.”

“Waste of time.”

“Not if we search for him separately,” Illumi joins the conversation. He puts down his hair brush and looks at me. “If you are thinking about looking for T. Knight, I’m coming with you.”

 “How did you kno—" you stop talking when you remember the assassin has been eyeing your web surfing this entire time. You straighten your back and speak again. “Why would you help us search for him? I figure you and Hisoka would want to stay in this world since there isn’t a hunter association hunting after you.”

 Back in your home world, the hunter association had changed its rules on the process of becoming a pro hunter. Criminals are no longer allowed to be one and if they are caught taking the hunter exam, they are charged, fined, and sentenced to prison for five to seven years. The ones who are already a pro hunter are no longer considered as one and their benefits have been revoked.

 Illumi and Hisoka had tried to use their hunter license to enter one of the V5 countries and when they were turned down, they had massacred half of the law enforcement. The hunter association had issued a warrant for their arrest and had sent blacklist hunters after them. They were almost caught until they were sent to this world.

“I could care less about the hunter association. I want to kill T. Knight and collect my reward from my client,” Illumi says.

“Who wants him dead?” you ask.

 Illumi holds up his hand. “I won’t say anything else. I have a nondisclosure agreement with my client.”

 You want to tell Illumi to not kill the film creator, but your words won’t reach him. He will do what he wants, when he wants, and will kill anyone who gets in his way, including you. It’s true that he takes the fake marriage seriously but when it comes to business, it’s his top priority.

“Did Shalnark find out where the film creator was last seen?” you ask Feitan.

“No.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Like I said, it’s a waste of time,” Feitan says, slightly annoyed.

“My client provided some information. Apparently, the film creator will be at some event that is held in a city called New Meadows,” Illumi says confidently, even though the information could be fake.

Your chest tightens more. “How much are they paying you?”

“A lot of money. Why? Does my wife want me to buy her something expensive,” Illumi says, looking at the closet door. “I suppose I could you some better undergarments and work clothes. Your fashion is bad as much as your cooking.”

“Excuse me? You don’t have to eat my food and there is nothing wrong with my fashion,” you say angrily. The assassin looks away from the closet door to you with his dead fish eyes. You hate his eyes and everything about him. “You should focus on improving your own fashion, if you can call it that.”

“My fashion is superb. I stay up to date with the fashion industry,” Illumi says.

If he does, you fear the fashion industry is taking a turn for the worst.

“I’m coming with you. The boss and the others will also come,” Feitan says before whispering in your ear. “We can find time to repeat the events from the counseling session.”

“That was an accident you pervert,” you whisper back to him, feeling your face grow hot.

“It didn’t seem like one to me. I bet you really are a horny girl. Tell Illumi to leave so that we can have alone time,” he orders in a seductive tone; one that you have never heard before. It sounds very weird and downright frightening.

Illumi leans over to look at you and Feitan suspiciously. “What are you whispering about?”

“Nothing,” you say, moving away from Feitan. You end up close to Illumi. He tries to place his hand on your leg but you swat it away. “Anyways, I think we should have a meeting with the oth—"

You stop talking when a chiming noise that notifies you about new emails comes from your cellphone. You open your email with shaky hands and see one from Mentha. The subject line says _Please Follow the Directions_. You open it and read it.

_From: Mentha Lyons <m.lyons@nassociation.com>_

_To: Dr. Portor <dr.portor@zmail.com>_

_Subject Line: Please Follow the Directions_

_Dear Doctor Portor,_

_I apologize for not giving you the information at your house. If you want to leave this world, please go to this address and find a map that has directions to another location. I can’t say anymore. Good Luck._

_1589 Oakhill Road_

_New Meadows_

_Sincerely,_

_Mentha Lyons_

You open up a new webpage and type in the address in the search bar. The results show a map of a city that is three hours from your house. The only route there is on a main street called Pike River, which begins upon exiting the city where you live. The street runs through several small towns and there are hardly any rest stops, which means if anyone needs to use the bathroom, you will have to pull over.

You want to visit the address alone, but something tells you that you will need help. Plus, the entire thing could be a trap. You don’t know anything about Mentha. For all you know, she could be working for the mafia or she could be in a dangerous gang like the Phantom Troupe and the location has her crew who are waiting to kill you. You can fight but not against a group of people. You will need backup to take them down.

 ***

You drive a rental SUV on Pike Street toward New Meadows, located about three hours from your house. There are barely any cars on the road, except when passing through small towns or stopping at a rest stop, and storm clouds gather in the sky. You had stopped at a rest stop thirty minutes ago because Phinks, Hisoka, and Shalnark couldn’t hold their bladder. There were many people entering and exiting the bathroom. Next to it was a small building that had several snack and soda vending machines inside it.

Phinks, and Shalnark had bought some snacks and soda while Hisoka had purposely roamed around, surveying the crowd for a worthy opponent to fight. Since you weren’t in the mood for his crap, you had backed up the car and started driving toward the exit slowly, keeping an eye on him since you didn’t really want to leave him behind. Once he had noticed you driving away, he had sprinted over to the car and got in.

The next time Hisoka decides to fiddle around, you are really going to leave him behind, regardless if you need him to leave this world. You will find another way to return home. He can rot in this place for all you care.

Storm clouds continue to gather in the sky and rain begins to fall at a steady pace. You adjust the car’s speed, reducing it from eighty miles per hour to sixty miles per hour, to avoid sliding on the road. Feitan, who sits in the front passenger seat, leans over to look at the odometer and makes a growling noise that sounds like an angry dog. You glance at him, wondering what his problem is. If you drive too fast, you will get into an accident.

“Is there a problem?” you ask.

“Why did you slow down? You drive like a grandma,” Feitan leans away from you and looks out the window. Rain hits the glass, making a soft tapping noise. “Drive faster or I’ll drive.”

You grip the steering wheel. Your knuckles hurt a little. “I’m going to keep driving at this pace until the rain dies down.” You search the cloudy sky in the distance for any sunlight that might be breaking through. It’s too dark to see anything. “If it rains harder, I’ll pull over until it stops.”

“You drive like a grandma,” Feitan repeats, this time jokingly. He takes off his shoes, props his feet up on the dashboard, and wiggles his toes. “Take the next exit so that I can buy more beef jerky.”

“You have ten bags of beef jerky. Why do you need more?” you turn on your blinker and pass a slow car in the right lane and grip the steering wheel harder. “Speaking of spending money, you never do it. You much rather steal, so why are you doing it now?”

Feitan continues to wiggles his toes. “I only buy things that mean a lot to me.”

You open your mouth to ask him what he means, but don’t. Some things are better left unspoken. Your guess is that someone from his childhood had bought him beef jerky and it’s one of the reasons why he wants to pay for it. You wonder if this person was his mother or a best friend who had exited his life years later.

You shouldn’t pry. It’s none of your business.

A sign on a bridge says Exit A19 and below it, are logos of restaurants, motels, and gas stations. The exit is five miles away. You soften your grip on the steering wheel and debate if you should take the exit or continue to the next city. Feitan wants to buy more beef jerky and your other husbands, well some of them, might want to stretch their legs. You know its been thirty minutes since the last stop but another one won’t hurt.

After all, you aren’t in a rush.

You don’t have to work for two weeks. You had taken time off for this road trip since you are not sure how long it will take to get answers to leave this world. It’s better to play it safe. Losing your job means that majority of the income is gone. Without enough money to pay for the bills, you and your husbands will have to move out of the gated community. From what you were told by a neighbor a few weeks ago, the other neighborhoods aren’t thrilled with polygamous marriages. You would have to move to one that is accepting.

That’s if there is one.

You glance at the rearview mirror to see what your husbands are doing. Chrollo, Phinks, and Shalnark sit in the first row, sleeping soundly. Hisoka, Illumi, and Kaito sit in the second row, staring outside the window. You return your eyes to road, feeling relieved they aren’t causing mischief but anything can change. Road trips have a way of rattling people’s nerves. Maybe it’s due to being cramped up in a small space for hours. It’s a good thing you don’t have to share the backseat with them otherwise, you would go crazy.

You take exit A19 and pull into a small parking lot in front of a gas station. There are a few people fueling their car and a few inside a restaurant next to it. You park in front of the restaurant, shut off the engine, and stretch your arms. Feitan puts on his shoes, hops out of the car, and enters the restaurant. Shalnark wakes up Chrollo and Phinks. They get out of the car and enter the gas station instead. Illumi and Hisoka follow behind.

You lock the car door and enter the restaurant, feeling uneasy because you know your husbands are going to commit a crime. Feitan sits in a booth in the back and you join him. A waiter walks over to the table and hands you and Feitan a menu. You stare at it for a few minutes, debating if you should go to the gas station or stay.

“What would you like?” the waiter asks, looking from you to Feitan. Feitan doesn’t say anything. He is engrossed in the menu. You hope he doesn’t order everything just to leave without paying. “Can you give us a few minutes?”

The waiter nods and leaves. You place the menu on the table and sigh hard. Feitan closes his menu and fiddles with the pepper and salt shaker. Rain continues to pour outside and a flash of lightning strikes a group of trees in the distance. You tremble.

“What is the plan after we eat here?” Feitan asks, pouring some pepper on the table. He pours salt on top of it and then pepper again. “How many hours until we reach the destination?”

“Five hours because of the weather. I’m not speeding there,” you say with a shrug.

“I’ll get us there in three hours.”

“You’re not driving.”

“Why? Are you afraid I’m a better driver?”

You laugh. “No. We will get into accident.”

“I’ve never been in an accident,” he stops pouring salt and pepper on the table and looks at you, grinning a little. “Chrollo is a terrible driver. He once forgot how to drive because he was thinking deeply about something. The Troupe doesn’t allow him to drive unless it’s an emergency.”

“Does Chrollo think about things a lot?” you ask.

Feitan shrugs. “Maybe, maybe not.”

You clamp your mouth shut and look outside the window. A few cars leave the parking lot and a few park in front of the gas station. Your other husbands enter the restaurant, carrying bags of snacks and soda and join you at the booth. You slide the menu over to Chrollo and he opens it to scan the beverage section.

“Let’s make this quick so that we can get back on the road. We still have five hours to go and—" you stop talking when Shalnark holds up his cellphone in the air. “What are you doing?”

“We can reach the address in three hours if you drive at a steady speed,” Shalnark says cheerfully.

“The address is close to the city,” Kaito adds, showing me a map on his cellphone. The address is located near a casino strip, hotels, and restaurants. “Good thing the address isn’t in the middle of the desert.”

“The city is located in the desert? How hot does it get?” Phinks asks, taking the menu from Chrollo. He flips it to the dessert section and looks for something sweet to eat. “I might need to reconsider my plans.”

“What plans?” Illumi inquires. “Does it have anything to do with my plans?”

“I have plans of my own but it may interfere with your plans,” Hisoka teases. He picks up a sugar packet from a basket next to the salt and pepper shakers and fiddles with it. “My dear spouse, what are your plans? Are you going to spend money at the casino?”

You ignore Hisoka’s question as you straighten your back and wonder what your husbands’ plans are. Well, you don’t think too hard because the Troupe’s plans always deal with stealing something and Illumi is probably going to assassinate someone, most likely that film creator, but Hisoka, his plans aren’t easy to decipher. What is he going to do?

“I don’t know what you guys are planning, but whatever it is, it can’t happen at all. Our goal is to find a way out of this world, not monkey around in the city,” you remind them.

“I hope that message is directed at them”-Kaito glares at the other husbands. They stare at him, puzzled. “and not me. My plans are the same as yours.”

“My plans are the same as well, except the Troupe’s business comes first,” Feitan says, glaring at Kaito. Kaito sighs a little. “I’m not going to apologize. The Troupe is more important.”

“Or is it?” you spit out.

Feitan clenches and unclenches his jaw. “What did you just say? Are you implying that I don’t care about the Troupe?”

“Calm down. That’s not what she meant,” Hisoka says in a serious tone. He licks his lips as he aims a sugar packet at Feitan. “Besides, if you touch her, you’ll suffer the consequences.”

“If you touch Feitan, I’ll rip your head off,” Phinks hisses.

“Feitan, stop causing a scene,” Chrollo says calmly. Feitan looks at him confused and he shakes his head no. “It wouldn’t be wise to kill her right now.” He looks at me, smiling wide. “We still need her to leave this world.”

You want to punch Chrollo in the face so hard that his nose breaks and his teeth shatter. He is good at pretending to be the nice guy, the peacemaker, in every situation in order to manipulate others into doing what he wants. He had purposely told you that he wants to kill you after he finds an exit so that you would fear him. Fear causes people to submit to others, but not you. No way.

“And I still need you to be my loving, caring, husband. Of course, sex isn’t included since, well, you would probably bore me in bed,” you fire back at Chrollo.

“If anyone is getting laid, it should be me. I’m a better husband,” Illumi says, looking at me with his creepy eyes.

Shalnark makes a humming noise. “How do you know that she doesn’t want to have sex with me or Kaito?”

“Or me?” Hisoka adds, just to piss off Illumi.

Feitan snorts. “How do you know that I haven’t pleasured our wife already? We were alone for a while.”

“For eight minutes,” Phinks says, crossing his arms. “Oh wait, you only need three minutes to finish.” Feitan kicks him underneath the table and he kicks him back.

“I thought you were practicing abstinence?” Chrollo says to Feitan.

Feitan grits his teeth and looks away from everyone, blushing. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Maybe he changed his mind,” Shalnark shrugs.

“Change the subject,” Feitan growls, continuing to look away from everyone.

The waiter stops by the table and takes everyone’s order. You order a hot tea. Kaito, Chrollo, Feitan, and Shalnark order a coffee. Hisoka and Illumi order hot cocoa and Phinks orders a fudge sundae. The waiter leaves and returns with the orders in ten minutes. You drink your tea slowly and pay for the bill afterward. Everyone exits the restaurant and gets inside the car. The rain picks up as you start the engine and pull out of the parking lot to the road.

 As you drive quietly, you hope the reset of the road trip goes well.


	5. Chapter 5

The neighborhood where the address is located is twenty minutes outside the city in the desert, surrounded by mountains and hills. There are palm trees in front of the houses, freshly mowed lawns, and trimmed bushes. Kaito drives down the street while I check the GPS on my cellphone to see which house is the correct one. For some reason, it keeps showing me an address in Standard city, which is eight hours from here. Why won’t it show me the address in this city?

“The GPS on my cellphone is messed up. It keeps me showing the wrong location,” I say, slightly annoyed.

Kaito pulls over to the side of the road and parks the car. “Let me see it.” I hand over my cellphone and he touches the screen, moving his fingers carefully as if the glass will shatter at any moment. Once he’s finished, he returns it to me. “Your phone keeps autocorrecting to the wrong address. The address in this neighborhood is”-he points to the third house on the right that has a tile roof, two-car garage, and arch gate in front of the entrance. “there. That’s the place.”

Hisoka leans forward and props his elbows on the armrest in between Kaito and me, licking his lips as he stares at the house excitedly. If the owner isn’t home, he can’t kill anyone and if they are, he will slit their throat. It’s guaranteed, which is why I’m hesitant to bring him along. He should stay inside the car. No, that would be worse. He will probably wander off to kill a neighbor.

“Who is coming with us inside the house?” Kaito asks me.

I sigh. “Everyone needs to come inside.”

Everyone gets out of the car and Kaito locks the doors before we head to the house. I stop in front of the arch gate and look for a doorbell and spot one next to the front door. I open the gate and we walk slowly to the door, taking one step at a time as if we are walking on a sheet of ice that will break at any moment. Illumi, surprisingly, rings the door and flips some of his hair behind his shoulder.

Two minutes pass and nobody answers the door, so Illumi rings the doorbell again and knocks twice. Someone shuffles something on the other side of the door and a crashing noise is heard, followed by an elderly voice cursing loudly. The door opens and an old man, who looks in his eighties, appears. He wears an apple cap, a fancy tracksuit and plastic sandals. His skin is olive, there is a mole on his chin, and wrinkles on his face. When he smiles, his jagged teeth look like they have been destroyed by years of eating ice.

“Are you here to deliver my newspaper or sell me something?” the old man says, opening the door more so that he can stick his head out. He stares at me and Kaito with his mouth slightly open. “Are you part of that religious group?”

“No, we aren’t. We are here for information,” Kaito replies.

“What information? Who sent you?” he asks suspiciously.

I swallow hard as I shove my hands into my pockets. Mint didn’t say to not give out her name. She had simply told us to come to this address. If I explain our situation, would he tell us anything? Heck, does he actually know how to leave this world? I have a feeling we are on a wild goose chase.

“A person named Mint,” I answer.

His eyes widen as he stares at me deeply concerned. “Mint? What’s wrong with my granddaughter? Are you with the police?”

I take a step back, bewildered. This old man is Mint’s grandfather? Why didn’t she say that in the email? She made it seem like she didn’t know who lived at this address. Wait. No, she didn’t. I’m assuming that she had excluded his name for secrecy. But is that really the case?

What is going on?

“Yes, we are with the pol---” Phinks tries to say jokingly, but I interrupt him quickly.

“No, we aren’t with the police. We would like some information. Perhaps, it’s better if we talked inside?” I say, hoping he won’t turn us away.

He nods his head and opens the door wider to let us inside. We enter and my nostrils are filled with a strong scent of apples and bourbon. There are lit candles on top of a shelf over an old TV across the room and in front of it is a sectional couch, a coffee table, and a floor lamp. There are books, records, and trash everywhere on the floor. A doorway leading to the kitchen reveals laundry baskets with old newspapers and notebooks in it, while on the dining table, there are pasta boxes, canned food, and a basket filled with fruit.

Her grandfather is a hoarder. Big time. I don’t want to think about what clutter is in the hallway, bathroom, or bedrooms. How does he move around in this mess? Better yet, where does he sleep? There are a lot of clothes, and trash on the couch. Does he push it off at night to sleep and put it back in the morning?

“My name is Monte Lyons and Mint Lyons is my granddaughter,” Monte says, pushing the clutter off the couch. He pats the cushions that have some stains and crumbs on it. “Please, have a seat.”

I cringe and try not to think about the stains on the cushions as I sit on it. I hate sitting on anything dirty, but I’ll do it out of respect for Mint’s grandfather. Kaito leans against the wall and my other husbands sit on the couch. Illumi, Phinks, Hisoka sit to my right and Feitan, Chrollo, and Shalnark to my left. I prefer to sit next to Hisoka over Feitan because he might get perverted ideas, such as placing my hand on his crotch again.

“Would anyone like something to drink? Coffee, tea, soda?” Monte asks.

“Coffee, please,” Chrollo says politely. He looks at the clutter. “What things do you collect?”

“All kinds of things. Why? Are you interested in buying something? I’ve been trying to get rid of some things, but I haven’t had time to bring everything to the pawn shop in the city,” Monte says, walking slowly to the kitchen.

I lean over to look at Chrollo and lower my voice. “Don’t even think about stealing anything from him. Do you want to ruin our only chance from obtaining information that might help us leave this world?”

“I can always make him talk,” Feitan whispers in a creepy tone.

Shivers run down my spine as I scoot away from him and almost end up on Illumi’s lap. Monte returns to the living room, carrying various beverages and snacks on a tray. He places it on the coffee table and grabs a folding chair from the hallway and sits down on it.

“Please, help yourself,” Monte points to the tray.

Everyone grabs a beverage and sips on it quietly. Monte coughs and clears his throat several times before he speaks. When he does, his voice is deeper and serious. I hold a soda can in my hand firmly as I listen to him.

“Let me introduce myself properly. My full name is Monte Rose Lyons. I’m, what you would call, a nen master in your world. In this world, I’m referred to as a doorkeeper, but only a few know that. My job is to send people back to their world within a timeframe otherwise, a negative consequence will happen. In your case, you and”-he looks at my husbands carefully before continuing. “will be trapped in this world for another year.”

“Why a year?” Phinks asks, crossing his arms.

Monte looks at Phinks. “The door that sends you back to your world stays open for a certain amount of time before it closes and disappears. It reappears a year later in the same place, but the key to open it is different and it is located in a different place.”

“So, there are other doorkeepers in this world?” I ask, excited to know we have a ticket home, but nervous it might slip out of our hands.

“There are only two: myself and Mint, but she hasn’t had the proper training to open the door nor does she know where the key fragments are located. Once a key is used, it disappears and a new one appears somewhere else; however, it’s disassembled. The party wanting to return to their world must find the fragments and deliver it to me,” Monte explains.

“How do people know about the door and the key?” Shalnark inquires.

I’m curious myself.

Monte leans back against the chair. It makes a squeaking noise. “A long time ago, a group of college students who were part of a scavenger hunt club, had found the key fragments and the door in the same place. Normally, the key fragments are scattered in different places, but for some reason, they were near the door. Anyways, they had reassembled the key and tried to open the door, but nothing happened. The door can only be opened by a doorkeeper,” he says, slowly, carefully, as he continues to make eye contact with everyone. “So, they kept trying to open it for three weeks, and one day, the door had disappeared. The next year, it had reappeared in the same place but the key fragments were in a different location. They repeated the process, but still nothing had happened.”

“Did they try to open the door every year?” Chrollo asks, intrigued by the story. If he had a nen ability that allowed him to travel to different worlds, he would be able to steal all kinds of things.

“Yes, and eventually, the president of the club decided to hold a worldwide scavenger hunt with a reward of a million dollars to the person who is able to open the door. The event is called M.L.’s Scavenger Hunt, and it was launched ten years ago, but it failed for the first three years because the participants weren’t able to find the key fragments and the ones who did, it had taken months,” Monte says, slightly sad, for some reason. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his legs. “For personal reasons that I won’t explain, I had decided to find the key fragments, hid them somewhere in three cities, and had made clues. The clues are mailed to the President every year, months prior to the event. And before you ask, no, the President doesn’t know it’s me.”

I nod my head, as if I understand his reasons for helping out the event. It doesn’t make any sense, but I’m not going to dwell on it. Time is not on our side and pretty soon, we will be racing against it as we search for the key fragments, wherever they are.

“Can we get the clues from you?” I ask.

Monte shakes his head. “No. It would be cheating.”

“The Troupe doesn’t cheat. We can steal the clues from the other participants,” Phinks says, enthusiastically.

Kaito sighs hard. “Stealing will get us disqualified.” He looks at Monte. “Am I right?”

“No. The President doesn’t care if stealing, killing, bargaining, or other criminal activities occur during the event. He is only concerned with opening the door,” Monte says.

A knot forms in my throat. If that’s the case, I rather not join the event because my husbands will take advantage of the fact that no rules are set in place to prevent crimes from occurring. I won’t stand by and watch the innocent, and non-innocent, die by their hands, just to find a key to return to our world. It’s not worth it.

But how else will return to our world? This event is the only way.

“If you want to return to your world, you will need to enter the event. As soon as you find the key fragments, bring it to me and I’ll send you home. Registration doesn’t start until midnight, so you have plenty of time to decide if you want to participate or not,” Monte states.

“We’re definitely participating,” I say quickly, even though I prefer to find another way to return home.

“I thought as much, which is why I will give you this,” Monte pulls out an envelope from his pocket and slowly hands it to me. Inside is a credit card that has pictures of moons and stars on it. I look at him, confused. “It’s payment for the registration. Don’t lose the card and never use it for anything else.”

“I don’t get it. Why would you give us your credit card knowing full well we might use it for something else?” Kaito asks suspiciously.

Monte laughs. “It’s a joke. The card is a gift credit card. Once the balance is depleted, you will have to put money on it. Did you actually think I would give you my actual credit card?” He slaps his leg and laughs harder.

“What are the rules for the scavenger hunt?” Illumi asks, sitting as straight as a fine-tuned string. He never slouches or blinks. I wonder if it’s due to strenuous assassin training or if his mother had taught him to sit properly in a bizarre way. “What I mean is, are there other assass---”

“Sales workers. He wants to know this so that he can ask them questions about new products in this world,” I interrupt Illumi.

“I’m not sure. There might be. That’s a strange place to hold a meeting. Is he really a sales worker?” Monte asks, raising an eyebrow.

"He is a terrible one, but I’m trying to show him the ropes,” Phinks speaks up.

Monte grows silent and stares at us for a few moments before bursting out in laughter. The knot in my throat becomes bigger, making me more anxious and unsure about everything. What if he decides to not help us? It’s possible he might know about the Troupe’s criminal activities. I’m not sure about Kaito, but he definitely isn’t a saint. Something tells me he has a lot of skeletons in his closet.

Chrollo stands up and walks over to a pile of records and books in the corner. He kneels down and picks up a skinny book that has an apple on the cover. The title reads ‘To Turn’ and the author is by a person named M.M. King. He flips to chapter one and skims the words on the page. I hold in my breath, hoping he doesn’t steal it, but he will.

Dang it.

“Is there anything else we should know about?” Chrollo asks, continuing to keep his eyes glued to the page.

“No, that’s it. Find the key and return here as soon as possible. Don’t worry about winning the price money since it won’t transfer to your world,” Monte says, looking at Chrollo. “Do you have any other questions?”

“Is there a doorkeeper in our world?” Feitan asks.

“There is, but I can’t reveal who they are,” Monte stands up slowly and walks over to the front door. He opens it and points outside. “Now, if that’s it, please go.”

We stand up and leave without saying anything. As we walk toward the car, he stares at us for a few moments before shutting the door. I shudder a little, feeling uneasy about entering the scavenger hunt. What if he was lying about everything?

What if the key and the door don’t exist?


	6. Chapter 6

I wait in line to register for the scavenger hunt event at the Tuxedo hotel. The registration booth is in a conference room on the second floor. Only one person can enter at a time and once they exit the room, the hotel employee lets another in. I’m sixth in line, which is good. The closer I am to registering, the sooner I can sleep.

A young girl wearing a sundress and sunglasses exits the conference room, holding a folded map in her hand. Two young boys, wearing a T-shirt that has a cartoon bumble bee on it and denim shorts, skip over to her laughing. She shows them the map and they take off down the hallway to the elevator at the end. I raise an eyebrow as the elevator doors close once they are inside it because it’s strange their parents are allowing them to join the scavenger hunt. What happens if they are kidnapped or murdered by a participant? I thought there was an age limit?

Another person enters the room and leaves within two minutes. Now, I’m fifth in line. I check the time on my cellphone. It’s a quarter past midnight. I should be sleeping right now, but even if I tried, my obnoxious husbands would keep me up, bickering about who gets to sleep on the bed or who gets to sleep on the floor. To be honest, they can sleep in the hallway for all I care. Well, Kaito can sleep in the room. He isn’t as bad as the others.

A tall older man, wearing a silk shirt tucked into khaki pants, turns around to look at me. He has short green hair, light green eyes, pale skin, and a huge pimple on his nose. I try not to look at the pimple as he opens and closes his mouth, debating on whether he should say something to me or keep his mouth shut. I’m not interested in what he has to say, but at the same time, if he has valuable information about this scavenger hunt, I want to know.

“You must be new. The chances of a new person finding the key is low. Team up with me and I’ll lead you to victory,” he says in a matter of fact tone.

I cross my arms, unamused with his statement. “Excuse me? What makes you think I’m new? What if I’m a returnee like you?”

He laughs. “You’re not. I would have remembered you from last year.”

“You actually remember everyone?” I say doubtfully.

“For the most part, yes.”

I look away from him to the conference room door. It opens and another person exits. This time it’s an elderly woman wearing a jumpsuit and a sunhat, carrying a folded map in one hand and a camera in the other. She slowly walks down the hallway to the elevator and enters it. The man in front of me continues to stare at me as if I’m a disease that will infect his immune system. I put my hands into my pants pockets and look down at my shoes since there isn’t anything else to look at. 

“If you don’t want to team up with me, that’s understandable. I just wanted to higher our chances of finding the key. Four eyes are better than two,” he says.

As I continue to stare at my shoes, I wonder if many people team up to find the key and if so, what challenges do they deal with besides clashing personalities, dishonesty, and an age gap. One challenge I can think of is an incentive to persuade people into accepting an offer. The award is a million dollars, which means splitting the prize is a possibility. No. It’s guaranteed. But what about the key? It can’t be used to open the door. Only a doorkeeper can do that and from what I know, people are unaware that Monte is one.

“Has anyone ever opened the door?” I ask, even though the answer is obviously no. Monte had mentioned that the door has never been opened but what if he is wrong? What if it has been opened and he didn’t know about it?

“I’ve been attending this event for five years and I have never heard of anyone opening the door,” he leans close to me and whispers. His breath smells like onions and tuna. I hold my breath as he speaks. “To be honest, I think this event is a scam. For one thing, everyone is told the same location to find the clues but as soon as we look for it, it’s never in the same place. And two, nobody has ever successfully found the key.”

I take a step back and look at him in astonishment. What does he mean the clues aren’t in the same place? Are they moved on purpose? And how is it possible that the key hasn’t been found? Something is wrong. Everything this man is telling me doesn’t match Monte’s version. I need to get to the bottom of this, but I’m not sure he will reveal more information if I ask.

“See, your reaction proves that you are new. My offer still stands if you want to team up,” the man says with a smile.

“Did you say those things on purpose to see my reaction?”

“Huh? I’m not lying about anything,” he leans closer again, but not too close for me to smell his bad breath. “If you want more information, meet me in my room. I stay in---”

Before he finishes his sentence, a hotel employee taps him on the shoulder and points to the room. The man smiles at me one last time before leaving. I move forward and clench my hands inside my pockets, feeling very troubled. Call me paranoid, but everything about this event is bizarre. I’m sure my husbands have noticed it too, but the difference is they don’t care enough to investigate the issue.

After two minutes, the man leaves the room and walks away from me without saying anything. I try calling after him, but the hotel employee taps me on my shoulder and points inside the room. If I could see their expression behind the crow mask on their face, I bet they look irritated.

I enter the conference room and see another hotel employee standing behind a table in the middle. There are folded maps and compasses on top. I walk up to them, clenching and unclenching my fist, unsure as to what to expect. They bow elegantly and speak.

“Thank you for joining M.L.’s Scavenger Hunt. Before I hand you your map and compass, I would like to go over the new rules that were put in place this year,” the hotel employee says in a booming voice that causes me to swallow hard. They wear a suit like the other employee, except theirs is maroon and the other is icy blue. A mask in the shape of a crow hides their face and their short spiky hair has frost on the tips. “The first rule is that you are not allowed to team up with another group or individual. The group that you registered is the one you must work with and if any members leave due to an emergency, a new member will not be assigned. Two, you have a week to find all of the key fragments. Failure to comply will result in disqualification and a ban from entering this event next year. Third, you must return to this conference room with the key fragments so that we can assemble it and to collect your prize. Failure to comply will result in disqualification. Do you have any questions?”

“No,” I say, staring at the crow mask, wondering what they look like. They hand me a folded map and a compass and I clutch the items in my hands as if it will fly away at any moment. They put their hands behind their back and look at me for a few moments. “Actually, I do have a question.”

“What is your question?” they ask.

It’s now or never. Time to dig myself a grave with hope it doesn’t get me disqualified from this event

“Are the clues a hundred percent accurate?” 

I clutch the items harder until my hands hurt.

“Of course,” the hotel employee says, walking around the table. They stop a few inches away from me and lean toward my ear to whisper. “No matter what happens, don’t give up.”

 “I’m sorry, what do you mean?”

“Good luck in your search.” They say carefully, ignoring my question.

~*~

Many people stand outside a casino called The Eclipse, waiting for the doors to open. It’s a medium-size building that has a large eclipse painting on it and palm trees lining a sidewalk that runs in front of it. Balloons are tied to some benches near the door and confetti is on the ground. The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly. The news had mentioned the temperature will be in the hundreds with a fifty percent chance of rain.

I check the time on my cellphone. It’s fifteen after six in the morning. My stomach growls since I didn’t eat breakfast and my husbands yawn as they wait patiently for the event to begin. I didn’t tell them what the hotel employee had told me, mostly because I had passed out as soon as I had returned to the hotel room and they were sound asleep on the floor. Surprisingly, they didn’t sleep on the bed. I thought Illumi would since he is high maintenance and extremely spoiled. He had slept underneath a pile of blankets in the corner, curled up like a cat. The rest had slept in front of the bed, which had made it impossible for me to close the curtains, so I had slept with them open.

“So, the first clue is somewhere in this casino. If we split up and look for it, we will find it no time,” Chrollo says, looking at the clues on the map.

There are three pictures in three cities. One clue is in this city and the other two are in two small cities, called Roseland and Prickly Pear, that are ten minutes away. The first picture is a book. The second is a baseball. The third is a rose. The clues aren’t complex, but finding them will be hard. They could be anywhere.

“Boss, we should split up. Phinks and I can head to Prickly Pear and Kaito, Shalnark, and Illumi can head to Roseland,” Feitan suggests.

“We have to stay together at all times. That’s the rules,” I say, looking at Feitan.

“What rules? Why am I hearing this now?” Phinks asks sharply.

I cross my arms and defend myself. “One, I was too tired to tell everyone and two, I was going to tell you.”

“When?” Shalnark asks, checking messages on his cellphone. He swipes his fingers across the screen quickly. The sound of techno music tells me he is playing a rhythm game.

“She was waiting for the right moment to tell us, isn’t that right?” Hisoka coos as he stares at me with a twinkle in his eyes.

I don’t make eye contact with him because it feels awkward, bizarre, and dirty. I feel like I need to take a bath to wash off his filth whenever he speaks to me. In fact, I feel that way with majority of my husbands, except for Kaito. I haven’t discovered any of his bad qualities yet. I know he has some. He is just really good at hiding them.

“Am I allowed to kill everyone before or after I find the key fragments,” Illumi asks, looking at the people around us.

“Why not kill everyone now?” Phinks suggests.

Feitan nods his head. “I agree. If we get rid of everyone, it will give us an advantage. We won’t have to worry about people getting in our way.”

I rub my eyes, hating every minute of this conversation. “Just stop. That isn’t an option and you know it.”

“We can make it an option. I bet there are plenty of unripe fruit waiting to be plucked in this crowd,” Hisoka says seductively, as he scans the crowd for worthy opponents to fight to the death.

I want to scream. Why was he sent to this world with me? Why wasn’t he sent to another to terrorize someone else? Every minute that I have to spend time with him is lowering my patience. I have never killed anyone before but I’m not afraid to do it to get rid of him so that I can return home without any issues. He is going to screw everything up because he can’t stop thinking about fighting people. It ticks me off whenever he refers to potential opponents as “unripe fruit”. What the heck does that mean?

“What are the rules?” Kaito asks, ignoring what Hisoka had said.

I pivot from one foot to the other. “We can’t join another group, the deadline is one week, and we must turn in the key to get it assembled and to claim the prize otherwise, we will be disqualified.”

“That’s it?” Phinks says, sounding relieved.

“That’s it,” I say, excluding the hint. I can’t say it now since we’re out in public. I’ll tell them in private or when the time is right.

The sound of a siren is heard from the top of the building and the front doors open but nobody moves. A hotel employee wearing a red suit and a cat mask stands in front of the entrance with their hands behind their back, observing the crowd carefully, as if they are looking for someone to call on like a teacher in a classroom. Some people around me whisper and some make derogatory comments. I put my hands inside my pants pockets nervously to prevent myself from clenching my fists. It’s a bad habit I need to break.

“Welcome to M.L.’s Scavenger Hunt! The first clue is hidden somewhere in this casino. To find it, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone. Please remember the rules and no violence, arguing, or sharing information is allowed. Have fun and if you have any questions, please ask any employee. Are you ready?” they ask in a squeaky voice.

Everyone around me yells yes and the hotel employee steps to the side to allow everyone in the building. Instead of stampeding inside like a herd of elephants, everyone walks in a line quietly. I breathe in and out slowly as I follow my husbands to the lobby. There are booths, tables, and chairs in front of a bar that has twenty bar stools in front of it. Two sets of stairs lead up to the second floor and at the top, are two hotel employees standing with their hands behind their back. They are also wearing a suit and a cat mask.

“Our first clue is a book. Where would it be located?” Phinks asks everyone.

Hisoka looks around the room. “There are books located in the security room.”

“It’s highly unlikely that it’s located there,” Kaito says, also looking around the room. He stops when he sees a large map above the coat check-in counter. “Why don’t we take a look at a map?”

“We have a map,” Feitan hisses.

“The map doesn’t pinpoint the location in the casino,” Chrollo mentions.

“I know where it’s located,” Shalnark says, holding up his cellphone. He had already hacked the casino security system, giving him access to all the security cameras. On the screen, it shows a VIP room that has two slot machines with massage chairs in front of them, four chairs around a glass table, and a flat screen TV on the wall. “We need to find this room. If I were to guess, it’s most likely located on the second floor.”

“Let’s head there,” I say, before we leave the lobby.

~*~

The section where VIP’s room are located is on the second floor, next to the smoking lounge. There are three VIP rooms. The first one is called Shooting Star, the second is called Galaxy, and the third is called Asteroid. A sign on each door says  _ If you choose one room, you can’t enter the others. Choose wisely. _ We don’t enter a room until we know which one was shown on the security camera. Shalnark double checks information on his cellphone and points to the second room.

We enter the room and the door shuts and locks. I try to open it, but it doesn’t budge. Chrollo walks over to a slot machine and picks up a dice bag that has fake coins in it. All of the coins are worth five credits, which is convenient, since it costs that much to play one round on a slot machine. The massage chairs cost ten credits for thirty minutes.

“We’re trapped in here until we find the first clue,” I say, trying not to sound panicky. I walk over to a chair near the TV and sit down. My body sinks into the soft fabric and for a second, I feel like taking a nap. “Put a coin into the slot machine to see what happens.”

Chrollo hands the dice bag to Phinks and he sits down in a massage chair in front of a slot machine and inserts a coin into it. The machine makes three pinging noises before the four rows that have different letters on it move in different directions. The first and third row move up and the second and fourth row moves down. They stop moving after a minute. None of the letters match. We didn’t win.

“How many coins do we have left?” Kaito asks Phinks.

Phinks looks inside the bag and shrugs. “There is plenty left.”

“We should use the coins wisely,” Chrollo says before looking at Shalnark who types something into his cellphone. There is cheeky grin on his face. “Could you hack the slot machines?”

“Sure, but it’s going to take me a bit. The security is pretty solid,” Shalnark replies, sitting down in a chair across from me. He crosses his legs, places his cellphone on his lap, and cracks his knuckles before attempting to hack.

I rub my eyes, feeling a headache forming on the side of my head. If we want to make good time, we need to figure out where the first clue is located quickly. I’m not on board with hacking the slot machines, but the deadline is short and who knows if the other participants decided to search for the second clue.

We need to act fast.


End file.
